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Abstract:

An ice fishing apparatus particularly suited to fishing in deeper waters
where the ability to reel in a fish without tangling a line. The
apparatus is suited to accommodate a wide variety of standard pole and
reel configurations. The apparatus also has a hook setting mechanism.

Claims:

1. A tip down apparatus for holding a commercial ice fishing pole and
reel assembly and setting a hook in a fish; the apparatus comprising: (i)
a vertical member being held by a base and comprising, a trunnion, a
rotational stop; (ii) a seat designed to detachably hold substantially
any commercially available ice fishing pole and reel assembly, the pole
and reel assembly comprising a tip end and a handle grip end with a fish
line extending from the tip end; (iii) the seat being securely connected
with a mounting bracket and the mounting bracket having an interface for
removably engaging the mounting bracket with the trunnion; (iv) the seat
in combination with the pole and reel assembly and the mounting bracket
being designed to have a center of gravity slightly toward the handle end
as mounting bracket is mounted on the trunnion in a set position with the
stop limiting rotation of the seat in the set position; (v) a mechanism
for sensing when the pole and reel assembly reaches a predetermined
position relative to the vertical member as a fish pulls on the fish line
extending from the tip end, whereupon; (vi) a trigger is activated
causing the tip end to set a hook in the mouth of the fish.

2. A tip down apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a
fastening member for securing the handle grip to the seat.

3. A tip down apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the fastening
member allows for fore and aft movement of the fishing pole and reel
assembly in the seat for adjusting the center of balance

4. A tip down apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the mechanism
for sensing when the pole and reel assembly reaches a predetermined
position relative to the vertical member further comprising: (i) an
adjustment arm extending from the vertical member holding a hook set;
(ii) the hook set further comprising, a platform, a latch member attached
at one end to the platform and having a free end capable of moving, a
trigger for holding the free end of the latch member while in the set
position, swing arm having a sweep member and being operatively held in
place by the latch member and able to swing in an arcuate movement when
released by the latch, and a spring capable of imparting kinetic energy
to the swing arm.

5. A tip down apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein the adjustment
arm can be moved to accommodate a variety of predetermined positions
relative to the vertical member.

6. A tip down apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein the mounting
bracket rotates about the trunnion.

7. A tip down apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein the center of
balance of the seat in combination with the pole and reel assembly and
the mounting bracket shifts toward the tip end from the handle end before
the pole and reel assembly reaches the predetermined position.

8. A tip down apparatus in accordance with claim 7 wherein the shift in
center of balance from the handle end to the tip end causes an angular
acceleration of the pole and reel assembly toward the trigger.

9. A tip down apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein the
acceleration of the pole and reel assembly toward the trigger cases an
abrupt snapping motion to the tip end of the pole as the sweep member
engages the pole.

10. A method for ice fishing comprising: (i) setting out a base near an
ice fishing hole and situating a vertical member into the base, the
vertical member comprising a trunnion and a rotational stop; (ii) the
vertical member further comprising a hook set (iii) providing a
commercially available ice fishing pole and reel assembly, having a tip
end and a handle grip end, and removably fastening said assembly to a
seat, said seat being firmly attached to a mounting bracket; (iv)
providing a hook set mechanism mounted to the vertical member by means of
an adjustment arm; (v) attaching the mounting bracket to the trunnion by
means of a mounting hole; (vi) adjusting the center of balance of the
pole and reel assembly by moving the pole and reel fore or aft relative
to the sear to achieve a tip up position having the desired balance
point; (vii) waiting for a fish to pull a line associated with the tip
end until the fishing pole contacts the hook set mechanism, whereby;
(viii) a hook is set in the fishes mouth and the pole is situated in the
tip-down position signaling a fisherman that a fish is on the line.

11. A method for ice fishing in accordance with claim 10 wherein the
relative location of the trunnion and the rotational stop on the vertical
member define the arc of travel of the pole.

12. A method of ice fishing in accordance with claim 11 wherein the means
of adjusting the center of balance further comprises a sliding fastener.

13. A method of ice fishing in accordance with claim 12 wherein the
sliding fastener comprises at the at least one of group of rubber band,
Velcro, or tie fasteners.

14. A method of ice fishing in accordance with claim 12 further
comprising the fisherman removing the mounting bracket from the trunnion
in order to play the fish.

15. A method of ice fishing in accordance with claim 12 wherein the hook
set mechanism further comprises; a platform, a latch member attached at
one end to the platform and having a free end capable of moving, a
trigger for holding the free end of the latch member while in the set
position, swing arm having a sweep member and being operatively held in
place by the latch member and able to swing in an arcuate movement when
released by the latch, and a spring capable of imparting kinetic energy
to the swing arm.

16. A method of ice fishing in accordance with claim 15 further
comprising adjusting the angle of the adjustment arm relative to the
vertical member in order to modulate the angular travel of the pole
before triggering the hook set mechanism.

17. A method of ice fishing in accordance with claim 16 wherein the shift
in center of balance from the handle end to the tip end causes an angular
acceleration of the pole and reel assembly toward the trigger.

18. A method of ice fishing in accordance with claim 17 wherein the
acceleration of the pole and reel assembly toward the trigger cases an
abrupt snapping motion to the tip end of the pole as the sweep member
engages the pole.

Description:

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application
#61/425,735 filed 21 Dec. 2010; entitled "Tip-down for ice fishing" The
entire contents being hereby incorporated by reference and for which
benefit of the priority date is claimed.

[0003] Ice fishing remains a pleasurable past time for many in polar
climates. A popular apparatus for ice fishing is a tip-down. With a
tip-down, a pole is placed in an upright position while the fisherman
waits for a fish to take bait from the end of a hook attached by line to
the end of the pole. The pull of the fish on the line causes the pole to
tip downward indicating to the fisherman that a fish is on the line.

[0004] The fisherman then pulls the line from the water and retrieves the
fish. Ice fishing is mostly done on ice above shallow water. In many
cases in colder climates deeper water can also be fished. In these cases
having an excess of line is cumbersome to the fisherman, and it is
desired that fishing poles of conventional construction and having reels
or reeling means be used.

[0005] Preferably, the fisherman would enjoy using a reel similar to what
is used in summertime fishing, but being a little shorter pole length. In
these cases it can be troublesome to find a good balance point for
actuating the up/down action required for a tip-down mechanism.

[0006] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a tip-down
mechanism comprising a holder suited to adapting with a wide variety of
off the shelf fishing poles and reels.

[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a tip-down
mechanism having a suitable range of up/down rotational motion.

[0008] It is another object of the invention that this structure to
provide a holder allowing the fisherman to quickly and easily remove the
pole and reel from the holding apparatus in order to play the fish.

[0009] It is another object of the invention to provide a trigger
mechanism in order to automatically set the hook into the mouth of the
fish.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a
mounting bracket for receiving a pole and reel assembly including a hand
grip being in association with the bracket and having a fastening member
to hold the hand grip to the bracket, and having a trunnion provided at a
balance point to provide the operation of tipping the pole assembly when
the line is pulled down by a fish.

[0011] This ice fishing tip down is designed to be used with commercial
ice fishing pole and reel combinations. It allows the fish to be reeled
in instead of being pulled in with the line by hand. It eliminates the
use of bobbers (which is a benefit as bobbers can freeze into the ice). A
tip down of the present invention simplifies deep water fishing as the
fisherman does not have to reel in great lengths of line on top of the
ice which tangles and blows in the wind. The set up and take down are
fast and simple. The present invention is designed to balance just about
any ice pole and reel combination, due at least in part to the center of
gravity being substantially below the trunnion. The pole and reel can
also easily be slid off the stand for easy reeling and has a stop post
for limiting rotation of the pole.

[0012] In an alternate embodiment, the invention can include a hook
setting mechanism for setting a hook into the mouth of a fish when the
tip-down is unattended.

[0013] The fisherman can leave the hole by some distance as the angle of
the pole is easy to see from great distances.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained
by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction
with the subsequent, detailed description, in which:

[0015] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a typical assembly wherein the
pole is in a tip-up orientation;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembly from FIG. 1 wherein
the pole is in a tip-down orientation;

[0017]FIG. 3A is a side perspective view of the hook set device wherein
the swing arm is in the latched position;

[0018]FIG. 3B is a side perspective view of the hook set device wherein
the swing arm is in motion after the latch is released;

[0019] FIG. 3C is a side perspective view of the hook set device wherein
the swing arm is in the open position;

[0020] FIG. 4A is an exploded view of the trunnion and mounting bracket
with seat assembly;

[0021]FIG. 4B is an assembled view of the trunnion and mounting bracket
with seat assembly;

[0022] FIGS. 5A and B are a perspective view of a trunnion and post
assembly;

[0023]FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a trunnion, bracket and seat in a
tip-up mode showing a representation of the center of gravity;

[0024] FIG. 6B is a perspective view of a trunnion, bracket and seat in a
tip-down mode showing a representation of the center of gravity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a base (10), which can take a variety of forms
including legs, or platforms sufficient to steady the apparatus. The base
(10) is connected with a vertical member (12) protruding approximately 18
to 30 inches from the surface of the ice and providing a trunnion (14)
for securing a mounting bracket (18) and allowing a focus for rotation
(shown in FIGS. 4-6). The mounting bracket (18) is secured to a seat
(20). The seat (20) is secured to the handle grip (44) of a fishing pole
by means of fastening member (22) which could comprise; a rubber band,
Velcro®, tie fasteners or the like. The fishing pole is oriented such
that the reel (42) is generally rotated downward providing a low center
of gravity or balance which is on the A stop post or rotational stop (16)
is provided generally above the trunnion (14) to limit the rotational
travel of the pole (40). A line (46) having bait and a hook at the distal
end (not shown) is situated along the pole (40) and terminating at the
reel (42).

[0026] In operation the pole (40) is set up to be oriented at an incline
relative to the horizon, or in a `tip-up` position. As a fish discovers
the bait and takes the hook, the corresponding movement causes tension on
the line (46) pulling it downward into the `tip-down` position as is
shown in FIG. 2. When the fisherman sees the pole (40) in the tip-down
position, he knows to attend to the line which, in this case, means
removing the mounting bracket (18) from the trunnion (14) and reeling in
the fish by means of the reel (42).

[0027] A hook set mechanism is hereby provided with operation illustrated
in FIGS. 3 A-C. The hook set further comprising, a platform (30), a latch
member (32) attached at one end to the platform (30) and having a free
end capable of moving freely, a trigger (24) for holding the free end of
the latch member (32) while in the set position, swing arm (28) having a
sweep member (29) and being operatively held in place by the latch member
(24) and able to swing in an arcuate movement when released by the latch
(24), and a spring (26) capable of imparting kinetic energy to the swing
arm

[0028] In this embodiment, the fishing pole (40) or seat (20) (depending
upon set up and orientation) contacts a trigger (24) which is held in
place by a latch member (32). The latch member (32) holds a swing arm
(28) in place by means of a spring (26), which in this case is a coil
spring (26). The pent up energy in the coil spring (26) causes the swing
arm (28) to rotate causing a sweep member (29) generally orthogonal to
the swing arm (28) to bump or jerk the pole 40) upward thus setting the
hook in the fish's mouth.

[0029] FIGS. 6 A&B show a representation of the center of gravity (CG), or
center of balance, for a seat (20) with mounting bracket (18) on a
trunnion (14). A representation of the pole (40), reel (42), hand grip
(44) and line (46) were excluded from the drawing for the sake of
simplicity, but it would be understood by one skilled in the art that
these would play a part in the completion of the apparatus. In fact, the
placement of the pole (40) within the seat (20) affects the center of
balance as the center of gravity moves toward the trunnion (14) which
acts as a focus or pivot. As the fishing pole moves fore, closing the gap
between the center of gravity and the trunnion (14) the more sensitive
the balance becomes and less pull on the line (46) would be necessary to
rotate the seat (20) from resting against the stop (16) to accelerating
toward the tip down position as shown in FIG. 6B. As the fishing pole is
moved aft, increasing the gap, the more resistant the pole (40) becomes
to pull on the line (46).

[0030] One skilled in the art can appreciate that the acceleration of the
pole (40) after a slight tug on the line (46) by a fish allows the
trigger (24) to reliably activate, and also creates just a little bit of
slack on the line (46) such that when the sweep (29) engages the pole
(40), it sets the hook (not shown) without ripping the hook from the
fish's mouth and settle right back into the tip-down position.

[0031] One skilled in the art can also appreciate that the fore and aft
adjustment of the pole (40) in the seat (20) can be made after the line
(46) is released into the water, allowing the fisherman to manually
compensate for length of line (46), fishing weights (not shown), current,
and the like when setting the center of balance.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

[0032] Although the present invention has been described in detail, those
skilled in the art will understand that various changes, substitutions,
and alterations herein may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention in its broadest form. The invention is not
considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure, and
covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures
from the true spirit and scope of this invention.

[0033] When introducing elements of aspects of the invention or the
embodiments thereof, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are
intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms
"comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and
mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed
elements.

[0034] Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be
protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequent appended
claims.